The kid could sing and dance. And almost crash the Internet

RIP Michael Jackson, 1958-2009. Wow! - I think of him as a young adult, though ageless. Yet he was older than I. A boy-child: ever-thinner, ever-whiter, and thus ever less threatening. I saw him a few years ago on TV on one of those E-rehabilitation shows and his speaking voice was that of a shy 10-year-old’s. Perhaps it’s naïve, but I always thought he was truly misunderstood, a simple song-and-dance kid exploited by the craven media. All the sexy dancing was that of a kid, doing the steps, not informed by adult passion. He was incredibly talented, yet all that was turned into breathless fodder for the hungry celebrity press.

He was an entertainer who knew his craft: yet a figure of pathos in recent years on the tabloid stage. I hope his wealth and fame were able to bring him joy in his last years. (I doubt it though, poor soul.)